Thursday, October 4, 2007

One Dish "Bake and Rise" Pizza and Bob's Red Mill Brownies

Sometimes a girl just needs pizza.

I love pizza. A good doughy, buttery pizza crust is probably one "wheat" item that I will truly miss, especially at good restaurants. My husband and I are pizza connoisseurs. We ate pizza either at a restaurant or at home at least every other week before going GF!

Last week I saw an "Amy's Rice Crust GF pizza" in the freezer at a local grocery store that has started to carry a very SMALL selection of GF products. I rejoiced at the sight of that rice crust pizza and I had to buy it even though it was nearly $9.00! So I put it in the freezer for an "emergency dinner night" when I absolutely didn't want to cook.

Last weekend though, after discovering that I could indeed make a great gluten-free loaf of bread, I thought... well heck, why couldn't I just make a pizza crust?

As if it were fate, our local newspaper's weekly food column posted a yummy looking one-dish pizza recipe last week. Of course, the recipe called for wheat flour, so it would take some modification... but I thought it was worth a shot. I love easy, one dish dinners!

I've been baking a long time. Sometimes I am apt not to read directions ... because of course, I'm certainly smart enough to figure out how and when to add ingredients and bake! Right?... Well... as I learned with this pizza... it probably would have been good idea to skim over the directions BEFORE I pre-heated the oven. I always preheat, because let's face it, that's how baking is done most of the time... but this pizza needs a cold oven to let the yeast rise as it's baking. Next time, I'll try that! The pizza was still good, and the crust was crispy and Michael said I needed to make it every week (so it can't be that bad!)... but I'll definitely start with a cold oven next time!

I may also buy some fresh basil, oregano, and add freshly chopped garlic instead of Italian seasoning. That would make a superb pie... and I'm all about a superb pizza! Enjoy!

One Dish "Bake and Rise" Pizza

Batter Ingredients:

1/2 cup tapioca flour - or - corn flour

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup brown rice flour

2 Tbsp. ground flax seeds

2 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. kosher salt

2 envelopes "rapid rise" yeast (or 1 Tbsp. rapid rise yeast granules)

3/4 cup very warm water

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Filling Ingredients:

1/2 pound ground beef or ground turkey

8 oz. canned or homemade pizza sauce

Toppings:

12-16 pepperoni slices

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup freshly shredded parmesan or asaiago cheese

1/2 tsp. Italian Herbs - or - fresh oregano, basil, and minced garlic

Directions:

1. Mix warm water and yeast granules thoroughly in a small bowl. Set aside until frothy.

4. Top crust evenly with pizza sauce and meats. Add toppings as desired.

5. BAKE by placing in a COLD oven; set temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through.

*********

Bob's Red Mill Brownies

This is more of a product review than a recipe. I just followed the recipe on the box and added chocolate chips.

These were one of the first gluten-free desserts I made. I was still uneasy about using gluten-free flours at the time and I had actually made these once before for a gluten-free friend.

These brownies were moist and very chocolate-y. Bob's mix uses Ghirardelli cocoaas the base, so they had to be good! The consistency was very dense and rich. This mix is expensive and in the future, I will definitely try my hand at brownies with my own gluten-free mix of flours. But for a beginner, these brownies were a good choice. We enjoyed them and I think it helped Michael to realize that gluten-free doesn't mean taste free. He enjoyed them as well! They were excellent with a big scoop of GF vanilla ice-cream.

If you're new to gluten-free baking, or if you just enjoy using GF mixes, this Bob's Red Mill mix was a good option with yummy results!!

That pie looks yummy! I'm impressed with your daring at trying to convert recipes so early on in your GF experience. I'm also relatively new at this, and tend to stick to recipes already written as GF.

I have a good pizza dough recipe that I've been tinkering with. Next time I make it (maybe this weekend), I'll take pictues and post it. It makes several crusts that freeze easily for future nights when you don't want to cook.

Karen - YES!! Please post that recipe! Sounds wonderful!! I would love to have some frozen pizza crusts ready for a moments notice! What a great idea! I look forward to your post! I appreciate your compliments!

I like experimenting! I'm at work all day... and all I usually think about is what I'm going to make for dinner and how I'm going to make it!

I really don't think having to stay away from gluten has been a bad thing for me. I LOVE finding new ways to do things and to see if I can make a recipe work! I love doing that!! It's kept me excited about this new way of eating! I really appreciate the compliment Karen!!

Carrie - I feel the same way about cooking. I love to cook, and when I found out I have to eat gluten-free, I saw it as an exciting challenge, not really a burden (the only real burden for me is eating out). I'm slowly starting to experiment with new flours and ingredients and figuring out what works best for what. And I get so excited when something works - makes me want to do a little happy dance. :)

Maybe even if I make the pizza to eat this weekend, I'll make the crusts. I always need to have something quick and easy in the freezer too.

Looks great! I will have to try your recipe. I am still playing with my pizza recipe. I have made it like five different ways- maybe your recipe will give me some inspiration! :) Looking forward to November!

Pizza looks delicious. I will have to make one for our family, half with no cheese for me. Bob's brownies are good but you have to eat the Chocolate Truffle Brownies by Gluten Free Pantry. Best brownies ever, gluten or not. They are always a crowd pleaser here.

Eric - Thanks so much!!! I'm so glad you enjoy reading the blog!! I hope you have a safe and wonderful trip!! Don't you miss Virginia apples!! ;-) I know you don't miss much from there, but I do miss the apples!! ;-)

Thanks so much Karen! I'm glad you posted, because i wasn't familiar with your site before now! What a great review site! I actually have a Namaste cake mix that I'm looking forward to trying one day (I'm saving it for a special occasion!) but it looks yummy! I bet their brownies are great!! Thanks again for commenting!!